I ran two programmes recently.
Both were rammed with value. STUFFED full of lived experience, real anecdotes and the kind of knowledge that’s not in the handbook, the handover doc, or the employee pack. The stuff that’s hard to access. The stuff no one teaches you.
And yet… only half showed up.
50% attendance.
Which means 50% of people just disappeared.
Now listen, I know life is life-ing. I’ve been pretty vocal about how bloody difficult the juggle is. Sick kids, back-to-back meetings, burnout, house alarms going off, sleepless nights, WhatsApp overload. But if you’re being honest, that’s not always what’s going on. Sometimes, you just didn’t prioritise it. Sometimes, it was “just a freebie” or “only €89” or “complimentary”… and so it didn’t feel serious.
But here’s the thing: if you don’t show up, it tells me you’re not serious. Not about the programme. About yourself. And yes…about my time too. I get paid either way. But I’m still going to feel some kind of way when you just don’t bother turning up.
This is the uncomfortable part.
You say you want to grow. To improve. To change. To upskill. To claim your space. To get the promotion. Whatever that “next stage” looks like to you. But then you don’t follow through on the small commitments you’ve made to get to the “Big Commitment”.
And I do understand - I understand the tension between wanting to do it - really, really wanting to do it; and just not being able to do it. With all our life admin and business admin and personal admin, sometimes we just can’t follow through. The adrenaline, that surge of excitement to book the ticket, buy the course, attend the event…well that’s a version of you in the past. And present you just can’t take it on.
But when you spend hours scrolling for the next “level up” or strategy, when you wonder why you aren’t getting to where you need to be… and can’t commit 90 minutes to live learning - you have to ask yourself if you do really want it.
Just because it was free or discounted, you tell yourself you haven’t lost anything.
But you have. You’ve lost some momentum. You’ve lost credibility (with yourself).
And if I’m honest, you’ve lost a bit of credibility with me too.
You’ve lost the chance to learn, reflect, connect. Get direct feedback. Find your people. Maybe even connect with someone who can help you get to where you need to go.
If you were paying €1,000 for a consultant, how would you feel? You’d be there.
If your boss booked this training? You’d be there. If it was a 1:1 session with someone you admire? You’d be early.
So let me be blunt: free or low-cost is not an excuse to disengage.
The price tag doesn’t dictate your outcome. Your attitude does.
And if you’re a leader, a manager, a founder? I think showing up matters even more.
Your team is watching. Your clients are watching. People you don’t even know are watching…and these just might be the people who want to support you, invest in you, sponsor you.
And when you keep skipping the things that are meant to help you grow, it gets harder and harder to take yourself seriously.
Now we know you can’t do it all. I know that. You know that. Doing it all is bullshit. But being intentional? Strategic? Dedicated to the right things? That’s how you make the most of your time. Saying “no” to as much as possible, so when you say “yes”, you are SAYING YES.
Be intentional.
The next time you sign up for a workshop, a webinar, a course or a coaching session - ask yourself - am I ready for this? Am I ready for this right now? If it’s a double YES, try and treat it like a meeting with your future self. The version of you that will thank you in 12 months time. The one who’s bolder, braver, further along, more connected, more determined.
Because if you don’t take your growth seriously, why should anyone else?
And if you did take something on, with every intention of following through - but life got in the way? Just pop an old email to explain…